I Am Heath Ledger

I was basically introduced to Heath Ledger via his Joker performance in "The Dark Knight", a movie that completely blew me away in large part because of that incredible acting. I was shocked and saddened just like everyone else when Heath unexpectedly passed away shortly afterwards, and was not on hand to receive his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, provide further quality work, or be a father to his child. I really didn't know much of Heath's background before his "Dark Knight" years, so "I Am Heath Ledger" was a very informative (and of course emotional) documentary for me.

Basically, this documentary chronologically covers the years of Heath's short life, both in terms of his acting roles and family life. His love of adventure and creativeness are heavily referenced, as they made up such a large portion of his life and made him such an engaging figure. Heath's mother, father, and sisters talk about Heath from a family perspective, while noted creative luminaries & friends (Naomi Watts, Ben Mendelsohn, Dijmon Hounsou, Emile Hirsch, Ange Lee, Catherine Hardwick, & Ben Harper, to name a few) give their unique perspectives as well.

Despite the fact that Heath's life ended in tragedy, "I Am Heath Ledger" does not revel in it or take a somber tone (until perhaps the final few minutes). Mostly, this is a positive view of Heath's life, not unlike a wake of sorts where fond memories of the departed are shared in order to heal and try to move forward. I appreciated his approach, as it allowed me as a viewer to get a much clearer picture of who Heath Ledger was pre-Batman.

The only reason I won't give this doc the full 10-star treatment is because, in all honesty, I wish it would have discussed the circumstances of Heath's death more directly. All we get here is a brief "he had his demons" line of dialogue. I realize that directors Adrian Buitenhuis & Derik Murray wanted to keep the tone positive (and it is clear they are always striving to do that), but I wonder if more could be learned from Heath's unfortunate demise by examining it frankly. Sure, no one wants the "Ledger was a druggie" myth to perpetuate (untrue as it may or may not be), but from my knowledge Heath died because of prescription medication abuse. Sad as it was, I would rather examine the issue for what it is instead of clouding it in mystery. Perhaps a lesson can be learned for future adventurers like Heath in order to better control their specific set of problems.

Overall, though, "I Am Heath Ledger" is an excellent documentary that gives a very well-rounded picture of Heath's acting, relationships, and life in general. Fans of him specifically or just actor stories in general will be satisfied (as well as emotionally touched) by the final product here.

I am a huge fan of heath ledger since his early work and I am a firm believer his portrayal of the joker in the "dark knight" is the greatest performance by an actor I have seen. This film touched me in so many ways that I feel that I knew the man personally as strange as it may seem. The personal accounts of people who knew him best, his own personal "vlog" footage really showed the true nature of heath and who he really was. A kind and joyful man who sadly lost his life too soon. I shed a tear many times especially to Bon iver's- Perth at the credits. I highly recommend this roller coaster of emotions to fans of heath and those who respected what he has achieved. It really is a fitting tribute to who the man was.

In the sea of young upcoming actors, Heath Ledger was unique. Like Patrick Swayze, I remember where I was when I heard about his passing. It was a bombshell, let me tell ya. I honestly thought my ears were that January summer day, on the way to the beach. This excellent top form documentary recounts his life, and his real self, away from the camera, catching those truest of moments. We are introduced to a variety of other close friends, U.S. and of course more Australian, all mostly actors, where we learn't this multi talented artist dabbled in other things, including song writing, directing and etc. We of course hear a little bit of his method acting approaches as well as snippets, from an impressive C.V of films in a less than ten year span, his joker, his greatest and unbelievably brilliant feat. If still alive, I know we would of seen much great acting work and accolades, awards, what have you,from him. It would of been good to see younger work from this actor, like his five day Home And Away stint, but I think more actors who have risen high about that, don't want to visit original territory, and put their H a A days way behind em'. Ledger himself, said, "you won't learn much about acting, spending 5 days on Home And Away". I solely agree, for here is an actor, a role model, for accepting challenges, and going all out to achieve your dream. The greatest inspiration to budding actors, this guy is, who like James Dean, lived fast and died young, a waste of what was so much more to come. Absorbing, and involving viewing from start to finish. For H L fans, a must see, and a trifle bit, memorably sad, in it's final minutes, as in the actor's short lived life himself.

Family and friends give a loving tribute to the late famous actor. It's nice to see so much admiration. There are things I didn't know like making music videos and his filmmaking aspirations. I did forget about his breakup with Michelle Williams. It's not unexpected that she's not doing those talking head interviews. There are a couple of hints about his depression which is blamed on his lack of sleep. What these people are describing is endless energy that builds to almost manic obsession although they put it into the most favorable light. He is a magic being to them and I don't expect anything less. This doesn't get too deep into his death. It is only really a tribute.

I'm one who does not have the best knowledge of Heath Ledger. I know some of his movies and think he was very good at both Brookeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. I have not seen all the movies he played in. This documentary gives real insight into his life, motivation, his wonderful attitude to life, his love for friends and pride for the family. Unlike other documentaries I've seen about celebrities, this is much closer and personal. It is full of feedback and reflections from his good friends, family and business partners. This makes the film credible and strong. We also see many private recordings that Heath did, either by himself or by others. We also get insight into his deep interests for other forms of art such as music and art. Overall, a deep dive in the life of an exciting, talented and inspiring man who died too soon.